Crimson Tales
by Jubalii
Summary: In jolly old England (and Italy, and Germany, and...), these are the undocumented tales. One-word-oneshots/Full description inside Rated T for now, maybe will bump up rating later on.
1. Wafer:Alucard and Seras

_**Author's Note**: Well, while I'm on vacation, I'll be writing a lot of little stuff. These drabbles are inspired by the words generated at randomwordgeneratorDOTcom. The drabbles are unconnected and of varying lengths and pairings. The pairings themselves can vary from friendship to lovers. These will range from slight fluff to hardcore psychological torture; also the drabbles will combine parts from the anime, manga, and OVA. Well, let's begin!_

**Wafer**

**Alucard and Seras**

* * *

Seras Victoria felt the usual chill up her spine as she entered the church. It wasn't her vampiric nature that made her steer clear of the sanctuaries; rather, she couldn't shake the fact that the stained glass windows and holy relics marked a dark place in her heart- as her companions on the night she died.

_I'd be more inclined to think you'd savor them as companions to your rebirth Police Girl, _her master murmured in her mind, making her frown slightly. She really needed to be focusing on her mission right now and not indulging in her Sire's voice, no matter how sensual, and enticing, and silky…. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she honed in on the scents of the chapel. She grimaced as she felt Alucard brush roughly against her mind, not wanting to be ignored.

_Not now Master; I'm trying to concentrate!_ _Do you want me to die because I was focusing on you? _She moaned in retaliation and felt his amusement at her "supposed" plight before he backed off, for the moment at least. She bristled as a new smell slowly drifted from an adjoining hallway that led back to the storage rooms. She inhaled deeply, her eyes turning a dark crimson as she licked her lips slightly. The smell of blood was filling the air, and_ damn_ but she liked it.

_Focus_, her master whispered gloatingly in her mind and she huffed, holding her unneeded breaths as she covered her nose to try to block the rusty scent. She slinked silently down the hallway, using the shadows to her advantage. She never even noticed that her latent powers were pulling the shadows along with her, hiding her further. She glanced through a door to see a storage room painted in fresh blood, with a priest lying in the arms of a nun who was slowly draining him of blood. She gasped almost non-audibly, but the assailant whipped her head around to reveal her blood-soaked fangs. Dropping the priest, the nun snarled viciously at Seras, who twisted her nose in disdain at the woman. Her master chuckled darkly in her mind. _Yes, my little Seras. Don't acknowledge such low, tainted filth. __**Our **__blood is much better than that whore in front of you._ Seras didn't answer her master, only purring briefly at his offhanded praise before turning back to the gory nun, who was inching her way around the boxes to try to make a quick escape when the time was right.

"Oh no you don't, you filthy FREAK," Seras cooed sadistically, in a perfect imitation of her master. She felt her darker side pulling at her mind, wanting the chance to come out and play. Seras pushed it back down firmly, gathering some of its energy for the fight while keeping it at bay. The nun balked slightly, sensing the deep, powerful blood flowing in her new adversary's veins.

"Wh-what are you?" she growled at the policewoman, who smiled and bared her fangs, pulling her gun from its holster. The nun hissed as the woman began to speak.

"_In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation_." Seras recited cooly while firing a shot that purposefully missed its target, flushing the nun into the open space at the center of the room. The nun frantically searched for an outlet or weapon, finally cartwheeling across the room to land on a shelf, pulling a box gingerly from its space and tossing the contents at Seras in one fell swoop.

Blinking, Seras dodged most of the small disks but one came into contact with the skin of her inner wrist and she screeched in pain, shaking off the burning object. She stared at the black mark on her wrist as she used her senses to shoot the nun in the heart, sending her to oblivion in a spray of ash. "Amen," she muttered before sinking to the ground and rubbing her wrist tenderly, whimpering at the agonizing pain. She saw the shadows move in the corner of her eye and Alucard soon appeared from the depths. He stepped with purpose toward Seras, reaching for her wrist. Without thinking she growled low at him, clutching her arm to her chest protectively.

_You dare to defy me, little one? _ Alucard growled deeply, pushing her mind until she submitted to him, tears running down her face as she closed her eyes and turned away. He took her hand in his, staring intently at the mark over the rims of his glasses before looking over at the scattered insides of the box that lay on the floor. He muttered something as he passed his hand over the mark, and the pain faded. Seras opened her eyes to look, seeing a circle-shaped scar on the inside of her wrist. She touched it curiously, glad that her master had taken the pain away. Looking at the disks, she felt the hair on her neck rise. _Those things are bad news_, she thought.

"Master, what are they?" she asked hesitantly as he walked over to nudge one with his boot. He looked over and grinned at her, beckoning with a finger. Despite her better judgment Seras walked over to stand next to him. She looked down at the box, marked "Wafers" in black Sharpie. Shivering, she pulled away as she hid behind him, staring at her wrist. He turned to scrutinize her once more and took her hand back in his as he traced the scar with a finger.

"As long as you belong to me, you'll wear that mark I'm afraid," he said softly as they both gazed at the scar. Seras frowned, pulling away to purse her lips. She felt rather vain, but to have anything _permanent_ marking her skin was rather off-putting. However, if it was a mark of her Master's, then it probably wasn't so bad…was it? She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she resigned herself to her first "battle scar". Alucard chuckled, turning to walk into the hallway toward the chapel. Seras followed in her usual place at his heels. He moved aside far enough for her to walk abreast of him, gazing at her strangely from behind his glasses as she kept her gaze on her wrist. "We're not feeling a little _vain _are we, Police Girl?" he teased. She felt her cheeks turn pink, turning away and cursing slightly. "I suppose… if people are going to be talking about your wrist, imagine what they'd be saying if they saw your _neck_." Seras frowned, her hand going self-consciously to her collar, which hid the prominent bite-marks.

"Master, you're so _mean_," she moaned sadly as they walked out of the chapel, his sardonic laughter echoing throughout the night.


	2. Discontent: Anderson and Heinkel

**Discontent**

**Alexander Anderson and Heinkel Wolfe **

* * *

It wasn't that Anderson was discontented with his job as caretaker of the orphanage children. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. Children were innocent creatures, God's little angels that were put on Earth to grow into strong, religious men and women. He loved to teach the wonders of God's love to the little ones, seeing the bright looks on their faces as he read the age-old stories of the Bible. No, he truly loved his job.

But that didn't mean that it was always interesting. Even now, as he reclined leisurely under a tree while supervising the children's playtime, he felt the same nagging boredom that he always did in times of peace. He hadn't been a soldier for nothing, after all. Fighting and order came naturally to the man, and he enjoyed displaying his talents in a good, old-fashioned Vatican monster hunt. But even the Hellsing whore's dogs were quiet at the moment, hiding their noses under their Master's feet. There was no action or missions, and quite frankly he was _bored to tears. _He saw a familiar figure heading up from the gate, and stood in welcome as Heinkel Wolfe walked up to him.

He always enjoyed Sister Wolfe. As a child, she was eager to learn and easy to get along with. He often had found himself near laughter at the action-packed fibs that she and Yumiko came up with to explain themselves when caught wrong. However, the girl had learned the proper Scripture and grew to be the energetic woman he now saw before him.

"Vell met, Fadder Anderson," Heinkel said as she raised a hand in greeting. Anderson smiled warmly and motioned for her to sit with him underneath the tree.

"Heinkel," he said with a nod once they were seated. "A new mission from the Vatican?" Heinkel shook her head.

"Nein, der haven't been any new missions for avhile," she said glumly. "Even Yumiko's getting radder antsy." She looked out, smiling at all of the shouting children as they played their little games. She gave a snort of laughter as one of the children tried do a handstand and fell flat. "Dey are so cute," she said off-handedly. "I'd love to stay for a vhile and play with dem." Anderson smiled at her comment before his face grew serious as he contemplated something.

The Vatican had been riding his ass now for a while about choosing an heir to be Regenerator and take care of the children when his "inevitable fate" came. He looked over at Heinkel, who was smiling wistfully as she watched the children play in the yard, most likely reminded of her own childhood days. Anderson put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, looking at the woman.

Heinkel was studious and serious when she needed to be, but at the same time filled with a boundless energy and sense of whimsy. She had patience, yet a temper when it came down to the nitty-gritty. She had a good understanding of Scripture and Rites, and she knew how the orphanage worked. Besides that, she was an excellent marksman and fighter-devoting hours of energy into her practice. He cleared his throat.

"You'd truly like to stay here and play with the wee ones?" he asked, studying her intently. Heinkel looked over, slightly confused at the serious tone her old caretaker was giving her.

"Vell, ja! I mean, I do enjoy de children. Dey are full of such purity and happiness. It's hard not to vant to be around dem, because it rubs off on you as vell," she said with the same seriousness, gesturing toward the laughing masses. Anderson nodded in understanding, leaning back against the tree.

"I'm glad you think so, Heinkel. Because I'm calling the Vatican today, and you're staying here with me." Heinkel was startled, looking at Anderson with wide eyes over her spectacles.

"V-vat? Vat do you mean?" she said uncertainly. Anderson smiled.

"You're going to be the next caretaker of the orphanage. I've chosen you to be the next Regenerator," he said nonchalantly, looking at the children. Yes, Heinkel would be a good choice. She'd treat the children with respect, love, and a stern hand. He looked at her as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. "It's a great honor to be chosen to serve God in this way," he reminded her gently. She blushed, bowing her head low in reverence.

"Ja, Fadder. I understand," she said softly. "I vill try my hardest." Anderson laughed, reaching around to rub the woman's shoulders.

"Don't look so serious, Lass! It's a lot of work, but also it's fun. There's not a day to go by when I'm not singing, or laughing, or playing games. It's as close to Heaven on Earth as you'll ever get." Heinkel smiled slightly as she let him chafe her shoulders. They both turned to look at a young girl who ran up to the priest.

"Father Anderson! We need an extra player to make the longest jump-rope line ever! We need you 'cause you're so big you can swing the rope _high_ into the air!" the girl said, raising on her tiptoes to explain her point. "Please," she added quietly after getting a look from the Father in question. Anderson stood, stretching and offering a hand to Heinkel.

"Well, whaddaya say, Heinkel? You up for a little skip-rope?" he teased. Heinkel grinned and nodded, letting herself be pulled up as she took the young girl's hand.

When the leaders of the Church came by to give Father Anderson his final ultimatum on delivering an heir, they found that he and Sister Wolfe were rather busy, swinging a rope as high as they could for a line of orphans at least a yard long to jump over as they all sang a simple song. The bespectacled assassin had to jump a good two feet in the air to equal the Paladin's mighty swings, which was making the children trip up with laughter and throwing off the rhythm. All of them looked as though they were having the most fun they'd ever had, and the leaders turned around silently heading back to the car. It was clear that Anderson had made his decision.


	3. Goldfish: Yumiko and Heinkel

Goldfish

-Yumiko and Heinkel-

* * *

"Und dat ist de story of _Aschenputtel_." Heinkel leaned back in the car; letting the train rock her as her companion soaked in the story. Heinkel smirked as Yumiko sighed dreamily; she always had been good and telling stories. The kids at Father Anderson's orphanage begged her to tell fairy tales whenever she was there, at the risk of being called out for blasphemy. Who knew that fairy tales were the devil's work? Nevertheless, the children whispered the stories to each other at night, each one telling a variation of a classic tale, spiced up with their own culture and a bit of world-knowledge.

"You know, Heinkel?" Yumiko said suddenly, her gaze wandering to the window. "That story reminds me also of something I heard in my childhood." Heinkel peered over the edges of her glasses, humming thoughtfully.

"Care to share?" she mocked. Yumiko blushed, nodding in her normal, absentminded way.

"When I was a young girl, one of our neighbors was a Chinese man. He once told me the story of a poor girl whose mother had been murdered by her stepmother and stepsister. The girl's father also died, and the girl was left in the hands of her evil stepfamily. Her mother, reincarnated as a goldfish, protected and guided her. When the fish died, the girl saved the bones, which helped her dress and impress the emperor's son, who saved her from a terrible life with her stepfamily. The end." Heinkel scoffed quietly.

"Und I'm supposed to believe dat a fish's bones can help me dress beautifully?" she teased. Yumiko looked from the window, her face serious for a moment.

"No more than I'm to believe that birds picked lentils out of a family's ashes." She returned to the passing landscape. "Besides, you can't believe them anyway. Fairy tales are the devil's work." Heinkel shrugged, leaning back to take a nap before they arrived back in Italy.

"Amen."

* * *

**Afterword:** No, I don't actually believe that fairy tales are the devil's work. How can you even ask that?


End file.
